Remembering Gar

This is what I wrote for The Blind Bowler to remember Gar.  Thought I'd publish it here too, so that you can all understand Gar and bowling.

REMEMBERING GAR GIDDINGS

In January 1993, Gar Giddings borrowed a set of rails from the Minneapolis Blind Bowlers for a bowling event at his church.  When he returned the rails, he was asked to join the league.  He did, and had a wonderful time bowling with them for twenty years until his death on July 27, 2013. 

Gar joined the Minneapolis Blind Bowlers, first as a sub, then as a regular team member.  After a few years of watching him bowl, I also joined the league.  While we were bowling on Saturday morning, our two youngest daughters learned to bowl on the junior league that met at the same time.  Gar has served as both president and vice president for the league.  During the time that he was president, he was very aware of the fact that the rails needed for a blind bowling league did not magically set themselves up, so he started showing up early on Saturday mornings to help.  Eventually, Gar became the person in charge of setting up the rails, teaching many people to help him during that time.  The last few years, Gar often helped assemble and set up rails at the National Tournaments.  Several times, Gar served as the ABBA representative for his league at the Mid-Year Meetings.  For the last two years, Gar was a member of ABBA’s finance committee. 

Gar was passionate about bowling, and was always working to improve his average.  When he first started bowling in 1993, his average was in the high 70’s.  Last year, his average was 126.  He also bowled his highest game ever, a 226.  Several times he earned the Most Improved Bowler award for his leagues, and was often the recipient of the Lou Anderson Award, an award given out annually to rail users by the Minneapolis Blind Bowlers.  One time when Gar had first started bowling, I came home to find him watching bowling on ESPN.  I asked if he was getting pointers from the commentators, and he smiled and said “No, I just like to listen to the pins fall.”  That was pretty typical of Gar and his love for bowling. 

One of the highlights in Gar’s bowling came in 2007 when he was selected to represent the USA at the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Bowling Tournament in Sydney, Australia.  There he won a bronze medal in the Men’s Scratch Singles event in the category for the totally blind.  He finished fourth in the overall events for that tournament.   

In addition to bowling with the Minneapolis Blind Bowlers, Gar and I bowled with Super Rollers, a mixed doubles USBC sanctioned league.  Together we bowled in over ten Minnesota State Mixed Doubles tournaments.  Gar was also a member of the Twin Cities Blind Audio Dart league, where, for his last two years he served as league statistician.  He also participated in the annual dart tournaments held by the league.

Even more than a bowler, Gar was a husband, dad and grandfather.  Gar was much loved and will be missed by me, his daughters, Jen, Liz, Annie and Kari and his grandchildren, Mary Owen, Xander, Addie and Tierney.